Re: [OT] Seeing increase in smtp concurrency ?

Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>
> Same problem here on several servers. Reducing the timeout helps, but
> violates RFC and is simply reducing the effects rather than fixing the
> issue. Is there any RFC valid way for a server to hang up on a
> client, especially after a 5xx?
>

What if SMTP servers report a 5XX and then drop the connection? I know that's not compliant, but a real mail server would have got the 5XX and so (mainly) wouldn't retry, and a spammer would have their connection terminated.

Is there any real downside to this? (one I can think of: mailing-list broadcasts would be slowed down due to retries if invalid addresses were present...)

I knew things like this would eventually happen. Spammers basically have infinite resources, they can deliver us a LOT of hurt when they wish to. I can think of a lot worse things they could do - and probably will :-(

-- 
Cheers

Jason Haar
Information Security Manager, Trimble Navigation Ltd.
Phone: +64 3 9635 377 Fax: +64 3 9635 417
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